Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-12

lose his reward" As we have had so
many things recorded against rs in heaven,
il will be a satisfaction TO have written on
unfailing archieyes, the fact that in the
month of May, or June, or September, or
December, 1887, we made the blissful mis-
take of supposing that we were entertain
ing weak men like ourselves, when, 10!
they showed their pinions before they left,
and we found out that they were angels
unawares.
Another reward comes in the good
wishes and prayers of our guests. do
not think ones house ever gets over hav-
ing had q good man or woman abide there.
George Whitefield used to scratch on the
window Of the room where he was enter
tained passage of Scripture and in one
case, after he left, the whole household
was converted by the reading of
that passage on the window pane. The
woman Of Shunem furnished little room
over the wall for Elisha, and all the ages
have heard the glorious consequences. On
a cold, stormy winter night, my father en-
tertained Trueman Osborne, the evangel-
ist, ana through all eternity will thank
God that Trueman Osborne stopped at our
house. How many of our guests have
brought to us coincidence and sympathy,
and help! There is legend told of St.
Sebald, that in his Christian rounds he
used to stop for entertainment at the house
Of poor cartwright. Coming there one
day, he found the cartwright and his family
freezing for the lack of any fuel. st
Sebald ordered the man TO 90 out and
break the icicles from the side OF the house
and bring them in, and the icicles were
brought into the house, and thrown on the
hearth, and they began 10 blaze imme-
diately, and the freezing family gathered
around.
AND WERE WARNED BY THEM.
That was legend; but bow often have our
guests come in to gather up the cold,
freezing sorrows of our life, kindling them
into illumination, and warmth, aud good
cheer. lie who opens his house to Chris
tian hospitality, turns those who are
strangers into friends Years will 90 by,
and there will be great changes in you,
and there will be great changes in them.
Some day you will be sitting in Loneliness,
watching bereavement, and you will get
letter in strange handwriting, and you
will look at the postoflice mark, and say
why, don't know anybody living in
that city," and you will break the envel-
ope, and there you will read the story of
thanks for your Christian generosity long
years before, and how they have heard afar
off of your trouble. And the letter will
be 80 full of kindly "reminiscences and
Christian coincidence, it will he plaster
large enough To cover up all the
deep gaShes Of your soul. When
we take people into our houses
as Christian guests, we take them into our
sympathies for ever. In bort, Holland,
soldier with sword at his side stopped at
house, desiring lodging a shelter. The
woman of the house at first refused ad
mittanCe, saying that the men OF the house
were not at home; but when he showed
his credentials that he had been honorably
discharged from the army, he was admitted
and tarried during the night. In the
nighttime there was a knocking at the
front door, and two ruftians broke in to
despoil that household. No sooner had
they come over the door sill than the
armed guest, who had primed his piece
aud charged in with slugs. met them, and
telling the woman TO stand hack, am hap
py to say, dropped the two assaulting des-
peradOes dead at his feet. Well, now
there are no bandits prowling around TO
destroy our houses; but how often it is
that We find those that have been our
guests
BECOME OUR DEFENDERS.
We gave them shelter first, and then after
wards in the great conflicts Of life they
fought for our reputation; they fought for
our property; they fought for our soul.
Another reward that comes from Chris |
tian hospitality is in the assurance that
we shall nave hospitality shown to us and
to ours. In the up-turnings of this, who
knows in what city or in what land We
may be thrown, and how much we may
need an open door? There may come no
such crisis to US, but our children may be |
thrown into some such strait. He who is |
in a Christian manner hospitable, has a
free pass through all Christendom. 1t may
be that you will have been dead fifty years |
before any such distress shall come upon
one of your descendants; but do you not
suppose that God can remember fifty |
years? and the knuckle OF your grandchild |
will be heard against the door of some !
stranger, and that door will he open: and |
it will lie talked over in heaven; and il |
will he said THAT mans grandfather, fifty |
years ago, gave shelter to stranger, and |
now strangers door is open for grand
SON"
Among the Greeks, after entertaining |
and being entertained, they take piece
of lead and cut it in two, and the host |
takes one half Of the piece Of lead, and |
the guest takes the other half as they
part These two pieces al lead age hand
ed down from generation to generation,
and from family TO family, and after
while perhaps one of the families in want
or in trouble 20 out with this one piece of
lead and find the other family with the |
corresponding piece of lead, and no sooner !
is the tally completed than the old Lospi |
tality is aroused, and eternal friendship
pledged. So the lleuory OF Christian hos |
pitahty will 20 down from generation TO |
generation, and from family to family, |
and the
TALLY WILL NEVER BE LOST,
neither in this world no the Yagid 20 come |
Mark this: the day will come when we
will oil he turned out Of doors, without |
any exception, barefoot, barehead, no
water in the canteen, no bread in the hav- |
ersack, and we will go in that way into /,
the future world. And / wonder ii eter-
nal hospitalites viii open before us and |
if We will be received into ever
lasting habitations? Francm Frescobald !
was u rich Italian, and he W. Sery
merciful and very bospitable. One day, |
an Englshman by the name Of Thomas |
Cromwell appeared at his door asking for /!
shelter and aims which were cheerfnlly |
rendered. Efesoohald afterward lost all |
his property, become very poor, and wan
dered up into England; and one day be
saw procession passing, and 10! il was
the Lord Chancellor Of England; and lol
the Lord Chancellor Of England was
Thomas Cromwell, the very man Re lsd |
once befriended down in It:ly. The Lord |
Chancellor. at the first glance Of Fresco- /
bald, recognized him, and dispo1nted \
from mis- carriage, threw his arms around
him, and eIahraeed him, paid his debts,
invited him 10 his house. and ssid: ''Here /